The Labyrinth of the Mind
by BLeeB77
Summary: It's been six years since Sarah defeted the Goblin King and his game, but she doesn't know if the dreams she's having are memories or she's boardering insane. But when Sarah meets the new drama student she starts to question her reality. Read and review!
1. Prologue: The Final Confrontation

Prologue

The Final Confrontation

The walls crumbled away as Sarah fell through space. Around her a great abyss opened up. Lightly landing on her feet, Sarah looked around, but she didn't see Toby anywhere; was this another one of the Goblin King's tricks? She never felt more alone in this entire labyrinth. Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus weren't going to save her this time; she had to face the Goblin King alone. All around her, walls and stairways hung suspended in mid-air, the sign that the Goblin King's power was waning.

Behind her, Sarah heard a slight rustle. Turning around, she saw the tall slender figure of the Goblin King hidden in the shadow of an archway. Slowly, he stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself. His tall, imposing figure approached Sarah and she fought the urge to look away from him. She barely knew what to say to him. Sarah could form no original words of her own; the only thing that could save Sarah was to mechanically repeat the lines that she had been practicing no more than thirteen hours ago.

"'Give me the child.'" It didn't sound nearly as threatening as she hoped it would. The Goblin King's mismatched eyes condescendingly looked down at her and a slight smirk played on his lips.

"Sarah, beware. I have been generous up 'til now. I can be cruel." He moved in closer to her, like a predator moving in on its prey. A slight cord struck within Sarah momentarily,

"Generous?" The Goblin King's eyes narrowed, "What have you done that's generous?"

"_Everything_!" The Goblin King's full power up till that moment seemed to be masked from Sarah, but now it hit Sarah like a brick wall. The power seemed to radiate from within the Goblin King when he spoke, it burned in his eyes when he looked at her, and it seemed to seep into her very skin. "Everything that you wanted, I have done. You asked that the child be taken. I took him. You cowered before me, I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for _you_!" The Goblin King paused in front of her and a weary look overshadowed his features, "I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations of me." His voice lowered, "Isn't that generous?" But his words fell on deft ears. Sarah couldn't forget the mistake that she made of wishing Toby away and she had to make it right no matter what the cost.

"'Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child that you have stolen.'" As the lines formed, Sarah walked towards the Goblin King, pushing him closer and closer to the edge of the abyss. Her eyes completely focused on him unblinking. "'For my will is as strong as yours…and my—'"

"Stop!" Sarah froze in her steps at the suddenness of the Goblin King's interruption. She knew that if she stopped, she would fall victim to her own selfish desires and then she would never be able to win Toby back. "Look, Sarah." The Goblin King held out his hand and that same crystal he had shown her when he first appeared to her materialized in his fingertips, "Look at what I'm offering you. Your dreams." Sarah couldn't allow herself to look into the crystal, for if she did, she would be in danger of accepting his offer and forever forsaking everyone, and herself. It didn't matter what Sarah felt, she knew what lines to say; she only needed to find the courage to say them.

Coldly staring at the Goblin King, Sarah marched on to the end, "'…and my kingdom as great.'"

"I ask for so little." A desperate look filled the Goblin Kings eyes, "Just let me rule you and you can have everything you want." Could it be that the Goblin King, the Lord of the Labyrinth was now begging Sarah to stay? But if she took the Goblin King's offer, she would be surrendering to him completely. Sarah had to say the last line. But what line came after?

"…'my kingdom is as great…'… damn. I can never remember that line."

"Just fear me, love me. Do as I say and I will be your slave." The words spoken so beseechingly were tempting enough that for a moment, Sarah did consider taking the crystal from the Goblin King's hands. This was the hardest moment Sarah had to face. All of the challenges through the labyrinth were noting more than preparation for the final trial she now had to face. Sarah couldn't allow herself to reach out to the Goblin King. Deep in her memory she searched for that one liberating line.

"'my kingdom is as great' 'my kingdom is as great'…" There! It finally came to her. Looking up into the eyes of the Goblin King, Sarah softly spoke the line in realization.

"'You have no power over me!'"

At that same moment, the hand on the thirteen hour clock reached its full cycle and a thundering chime roared through the air. The Goblin King's spell was shattered. The last image Sarah saw of the Goblin King was that of bitter disappointment and deep in his eyes, she saw his deep loneliness. The Goblin King threw the crystal high in the air just as the ground beneath him gave way, dropping him into his own magical abyss. The crystal shattered into hundreds of pieces and showered down, disappearing like stars at sunrise.

All around, the broken stair maze dissolved into the hallway of Sarah's house. A cream colored barn owl flew out of the open window and into the night. It was finished. On the wall the clock chimed the midnight hour, only then did Sarah look around and realized that she was finally back in her own home.

"Toby?" Sarah ran up the stairs to her father's and Irene's room calling out frantically for Toby. What if the Goblin King lied to her? What if he kept Toby in the Labyrinth? Flipping on the switch, Sarah walked over to Toby's crib and saw him rubbing his eyes sleepily and falling back into a peaceful sleep. A warm sensation of relief flooded Sarah's heart as she tucked Toby in and gently caressed his soft cheek. On the bed lay Sarah's stuffed bear, Lancelot. It didn't seem right to keep the toy, after all, Sarah had matured so much in the Underground that a stuffed bear seemed childish to her.

Gently tucking the bear next to Toby, Sarah whispered, "Here you are. I'd like Lancelot to belong to you now." Sarah left the babe to sleep. With one last glance at the small figure safe at last, Sarah turned off the light to the bedroom and walked across the hall to her room.

When Sarah entered her room she noticed a small glimmering object on her vanity. It looked to be a shard of glass. Sarah's fingers closed around the small object, no bigger than her thumb, and looked deep into its depths. A swirling mass of colors rose to the surface like an image becoming clear in water. It showed Sarah as an aspiring actress on a stage on Broadway, then the image shifted to reveal her dreams of writing and painting, going to far off places and meeting exotic people. As all these images passed before Sarah's eyes, she couldn't help but question whether she had done the right thing. But of course she had, she couldn't let her brother become a goblin! He was only a baby of barely a year!

The last image that Sarah saw inside of the crystal shard, for indeed it was a shard from the crystal the Goblin King had held before her, was of a room that was brightly lit and fabric danced in the light. Masked twirled and spun around a couple in the middle of the dance floor, both unmasked, both exposed. In the middle of the crystal Sarah danced in the arms of Jareth.


	2. Chapter 1: From Out of the Book

Chapter 1

From Out of the Book

Sarah opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to see her alarm clock, 5:15. _An hour early again_, she thought to herself. Sarah sighed and rolled out of bed knowing that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now that she was awake.

Stretching her arms above her head, Sarah went to the window and peeked out into the dark streets of downtown Portland, Oregon after the nightly rain. The lamp post outside her window glistened with drops of rain water. Closing the curtain again, Sarah began her mundane morning routine. A jog around the block and a quick cup of coffee at the local café where she looked over her mail; after getting home, Sarah turned up the heat slightly and got ready for her classes at Portland State University school of Business, checking over her homework once more and looking ahead in her textbooks to prepare for her next class.

After getting dressed, Sarah went to her bedside table and slid the top drawer open. Inside, was a picture of Toby on his first day in "big kid school". He was just starting First Grade and was so excited on his first day that he called Sarah as soon as he got home and told her all about his wonderful day. Toby had grown so fast in six years. His golden hair curled in unruly tuffs on the top of his head much like sheep fluff but it was one of Toby's features that Sarah loved the most. Bright blue eyes, which Toby had inherited from their shared father, shown with excitement. Toby smiled his toothy smile, a tooth missing. In his backpack, Lancelot peeked out, a little worse for wear. Sarah had grown very fond of her half-brother. Sure he could tease and throw tantrums, but he was still a child, barely seven. Sarah felt a smile creep onto her lips as she stared down at the picture, recalling all the memories she shared with Toby.

Setting the picture aside, Sarah removed a small red leather book from the drawer. The gold leafing of the title shown brightly in the lamplight, but the title was the only identifying feature of the book. There was no author listed and no publication of any kind. There was only the title on the cover, _Labyrinth_. It was a strange book; it seemed that it was a mixture between a novel and a play write together. Sarah only reached for this book when she started having those dreams again.

Her dreams were a mixture of strange creatures and a maze that was full of danger and enchantment, but there was always one person who was in every dream, he was known as the Goblin King. He was a strange and frightening figure in her dreams. With his mix-matched eyes and his wild silky hair that hung down past his shoulders, he was almost inhuman. But Sarah quickly reminded herself that he only appeared in her dreams. There was no such person like him, and no one certainly called the Goblin King.

Sarah stroked the cover of _Labyrinth_ remembering the lines perfectly within the pages. When she was younger, she always thought that someday she would be saying these lines on a stage in front of thousands of people and when she pronounced that final line, the whole audience would burst into cheers and applause. But those dreams were childish and Sarah had long since put those childish things behind her realizing that she had to grow up. After all, what chance did she have of making any career out of becoming an actress? She could almost laugh.

Opening the cover, something small fell out and landed on Sarah's lap, but to Sarah, it felt like a cement brick had just fallen into her lap. She looked down at the small glass shard that had escaped from the book. Slowly, her pulse began to escalate and Sarah knew that everything was indeed happening again. She was going into a fit. Standing up quickly, the glass shard fell with a clatter on the cold wooden floor. Sarah looked down and saw that within the glass shard, colors had started to bloom and swirl in a dance. Panic seized Sarah and she rushed to her telephone across the room and quickly punched in a phone number. As the phone rang, the shard of glass on the floor twinkled and shone with its own light. After what seemed to be an eternity, the other line picked up.

"Hello, Dr. Griffith's office. How may I help you?" asked the soft grandmotherly voice on the other line.

"Um…well…I-I need to speak with Dr. Griffith…please?" Cold sweat had started to form on Sarah's hands and forehead.

"Oh, yes. Of course Sarah. One moment." There was a pause on the other line as the secretary connected her line to the therapist.

"Yes, Sarah. What can I do for you?" Came the soothing voice of Sarah's therapist. Ever since Sarah was sixteen, she had been constantly plagued by these strange dreams that she thought were memories at first. Concerned about her mental health, her father and her stepmother started to send her to a therapist who later transferred her over to Dr. Griffith. The dreams started to appear in Sarah's sleep less and less after seeing Dr. Griffith, but once in a while she would have a dream or a fit and she knew that it was time to see Dr. Griffith again. This was one of those times.

"Can I make an appointment today? It's starting to happen again." Sarah said frantically to the doctor. She looked back at the glass shard on the floor. The colors still swirled inside of it, but now images seemed to have started to appear. Sarah turned her back to it and tried to calm herself, Dr. Griffith's calming voice was the only thing that kept her in reality.

"Of course, Sarah." Said the therapist in a gentle tone, "Just remember that these things only have control of you if you let them have control of you." Sarah nodded, but she remembered that she was speaking into a telephone.

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Dr. Griffith."

"Any time, Sarah. Would you like to make the appointment at the same time as usual or are you able to come in earlier?"

"No, I have class today, so I would like it at the same time as usual." Said Sarah looking at the clock, 7:42, her class started at 8:30, but she needed to make it down to the MAX station.

"Alright then, Sarah, I will put the appointment in at the same block that we usually have it. I look forward to seeing you." There almost sounded like there was a slight smile in the therapist's voice, but Sarah didn't detect it.

"Thank you again Dr. Griffith. Good bye."

"Good bye Sarah." Sarah heard a click on the other line and she hung the phone on the receiver. Quickly, she walked over to where the glass shard was and kicked it under the bed, careful to only touch it with her shoe. Sarah grabbed her school bag and her keys from her key bowl. Taking one last survey of her small apartment, she turned down the heat and locked the door behind her. Sarah jerked the handle three times to make sure that the door was secure, _better to be safe than sorry_, she always told herself. Briskly walking down the hall and down the stairs of the apartment complex, Sarah walked outside into the chilly air. Outside it was overcast and it seemed that it was going to start raining again. Thankful that she had remembered an umbrella, Sarah hailed a taxi and it pulled over to the curb for her. Before Sarah got into the cab, she heard a faint flutter of wings and looked up to see a beautiful cream colored barn owl perched on the lamp post outside of her apartment complex. Sarah paused in wonder at the graceful creature who in turn eyed her with its wide eyes. _That's strange, what would an owl be doing up at this time of day?_ She stared for a moment longer, but jumped at the gruff voice of an irritated cab driver.

"Are you getting in or not lady? I have fairs and money to make here." Sarah muttered an apology and quickly slid into the backseat of the taxi cab.

XXXXX

The taxi slid away from the curb and sped off into the distance. The owl watched it with its sharp eyes and after it had disappeared from view, the owl spread its creamy wings and flew off from its perch. It flew high up into the air, its strong wings carrying it higher and higher over the bustling city. From high up, it still could spot that taxi that carried her within it and followed it until it dropped her off at what seemed to be another transportation vehicle of some type, what people called the "MAX", although it baffled the owl to give and object a human name. She boarded and it departed, snacking its way to the school that she was attending.

The owl descended from the sky and slowly circled down closer to the ground. It quickly darted into an alley out of sight of anyone. He landed quite gracefully on his feet. Brushing off the extra feathers from his now modern cloths, his normal cloths were much too regal to wear in the Aboveground and he would stand out to much. Looking down into a small water puddle on the ground, he ran his fingers through his silky snowy hair which was also a tad shorter, but not too much, he hated it short. The markings on his eyes were gone, hidden behind his Aboveground glamour; but the only thing that the glamour couldn't hide were his intense eyes. Frustrated with his appearance, he stomped out his reflection in the puddle and Jareth walked out of the alley toward Portland State University.


	3. Chapter 2: Audition Papers

Chapter 2

Audition Papers

Sarah made it to class on time and sat in her usual spot by the window. It had just started to rain outside, which was not strange for Portland, but Sarah frowned knowing that she would have to walk through the rain to get to her therapist's office. The rain made the world an even duller color of grey, like the little water droplets absorbed all the colors. The sidewalks shone with a wet sheen as rain pelted against it. Down bellow there were only a few students rushing to get to class and out of the rain as quickly as possible, but Sarah noticed one person who didn't seem to mind the rain at all. She couldn't see the person quite clearly through the rain but the figure turned and seemed to look directly at her through the rain. Sarah squinted her eyes to try and see who it was, but they had already turned away and walked into the office buildings.

Sarah's friend Samantha walked into class and shook the rain off. Her bright blues eyes scanned the classroom for Sarah. When Samantha found her, she briskly walked over in a few long strides and sat behind Sarah.

"I hope that you understood this chapter," Samantha said gruffly as she pulled herself into her seat, "because I certainly didn't get it." Pulling her wavy blond hair to the side, Samantha shook out a few rain droplets.

"It wasn't too hard, it was just a basic overview of some business ethics." Sarah had taken out a pack of chewing gun and passed it to Samantha.

"Humph, I honestly don't care, I'm only taking this class to get more credits. Anyway, wanna know what my drama professor got the inside scoop on?" Samantha had lowered her voice and looked around the room like she was incognito. Sarah had to stifle a laugh. "He got wind that some of the major drama coaches from all over the state are planning on coming to see our production of _Midsummer Night's Dream_, and we haven't even had auditions for it yet. It seems like it's going to turn out to be a major production already." Samantha squealed with excitement. Trying her best to look somewhat interested, Sarah asked,

"Is Damien going to try out then?" Samantha's eyes seemed to alight with a fiery excitement.

"Of course he is. We both can't stop talking about it." Samantha had pulled out the audition script and was looking over it. "I'm going to be trying out for the part of Hermia and Damien will be trying out for Lysander. You will come won't you?" Sarah suddenly found her hands clasped tightly in Samantha's and her big doe eyes looking up at her.

"Um…to the auditions or to the performance?"

"Why to the performance of course…do you not think that we will get the parts?" Samantha's eyes widened feigning hurt.

"With acting like that, Samantha, I'm sure that you'll get the part and be noticed by one of the acting coaches." Sarah said with a slight smile. Samantha giggled with glee and threw her arms around her best friend's neck, a little difficult considering that they were both sitting in desks. Sarah patted her friend and Samantha let go quickly.

"Oh sorry, I forgot that you're not a big hugger," playfully punching Sarah's arm she added, "but don't worry, I'll break you of that yet."

Soon the professor walked into the class and began the lesson. Sarah hardly ever paid attention. What was there to pay attention to? She had already read and understood the chapter, there was nothing more to elaborate on. Sarah understood everything. Every now and then, Sarah could hear the quiet yawning of her friend behind her. At least they could both agree that this class was boring.

After the class had been dismissed at the end of the lesson, the professor called Sarah up to the front desk. Samantha waited outside the door for her to finish.

"Yes sir?" Sarah addressed the professor as soon as the class was empty.

"I can't help but be concerned, Sarah." Said the professor bluntly, Sarah appreciated that about him.

"Why is that sir?"

"This is your major right? Business? Isn't that what you want to do?" Sarah nodded. The professor was unconvinced, "Are you doing this for you're parents?"

"No sir."

"Then why are you here Sarah? You hardly speak in class and you take no interest in extra credit projects I assign, but you do exceedingly well in this class. You hardly converse with your fellow students other than the colorful Miss Samantha. Is there anything that really interests you?" Sarah opened her mouth to reply but found that she couldn't find any words to speak. Her professor was right. She wasn't really interested in anything that was taught in class, in fact, she wasn't really interested in anything at all. Sarah hadn't joined any clubs, programs, or sports teams in college or in high school, Sarah had grown out of all of that after she had turned sixteen. The professor sighed and opened up a drawer in his desk. Reaching in, Sarah's professor took out a small stack of papers and handed them to Sarah.

"I'm going to only give you this assignment and I don't think that it will be a hard one. I want you to try out for the production coming up, _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. You don't have to write any paper or turn in anything, I just want you to try it out and see if you like it. I already took the liberty of filling in your name." Sarah looked down at the papers in her hands and realized that they were audition forms.

"Um, sir, I don't think that this is very necessary." Said Sarah as she tried to hand the papers back to her professor. He smirked a somewhat familiar smirk to Sarah, one that she couldn't quite place.

"I heard that you were quite the actress when you were younger in your community theater. I'm sure that you'll get into the cast no sweat." Sarah's professor pushed the papers back into her hands and rose to collect his own personal affects. "Break a leg." He said with a wink, it was Sarah's cue for dismissal. Sarah walked out of the classroom and rejoined her curious friend outside in the hallway.

**XXXXX**

As soon as Sarah left the classroom, the professor looked up bewildered at how fast the students had left. He had only dismissed them only a second ago. He looked down and was further amazed that he was already standing bag in hand ready to walk out the door.

"I need to get to bed earlier." He mumbled to himself as he gathered up the rest of his things and left the room.

**XXXXX**

Samantha looked curiously at Sarah as she exited the classroom. Sarah looked just as confused as Samantha.

"Well?" She asked impatiently. Holding out the papers so that Samantha could see them, Sarah simply said,

"He wants me to try out for the play." Samantha looking in astonishment at the audition forms to Sarah then back to the audition forms, suddenly, Samantha squealed with excitement.

"Oh my gosh, Sarah, you have to! It's a sign! I've been asking you for years to try out for plays but after high school you quit on me. Now is your chance! When we were younger we would always put on plays for the neighborhood and our parents remember?" Sarah stiffly nodded remembering all those times that Samantha and her would go to the park and practice lines for the next play that they were going to perform for their parents, Sarah's dog, Merlin, was often the director and more often an audience.

"I don't know Samantha, I haven't done it in years, what if I audition and make a fool out of myself?" Rolling her eyes, Samantha passed the papers back to Sarah.

"Please, you're probably a better actress than me, and theater is my major. Tell you what, you don't have to decide on it right now. Auditions are not for another two weeks. Sleep on it, but let me know soon and maybe we can practice with each other just like the old days." Samantha was enthusiastic now. Sarah could tell that Samantha missed this, them practicing for plays together and being interested in the same thing. The last thing that Sarah wanted to do was disappoint her best friend, so Sarah promised that she'll think about it earning Sarah a 'squee' from Samantha as she bounded up and down in excitement.

Sarah couldn't help but smile as well as Samantha's energy and excitement flowed into her. It seemed that Samantha was what gave Sarah any energy at all. Sarah's professor was right, Samantha was a very colorful person, she was the color in Sarah's otherwise dull and grey life. When the girls were younger, Sarah had a fiery energy herself that could rival Samantha's, but when Sarah started having those hallucinations and dreams at fifteen, Sarah completely changed. That was when she lost interest in everything. Samantha couldn't get Sarah to join any plays in their high school or in the community theater. The hallucinations were something that Samantha did know about as well as Sarah seeing a therapist. After Sarah had started taking drugs for the hallucinations, it was like the life had been sucked right out of her and Samantha often said that she will have enough energy for the both of them. But Samantha never pitied Sarah, because she knew that pity was the very last thing that Sarah ever wanted from anyone.

Samantha and Sarah opened up the doors to the outside of the building and greeted the rain with open umbrellas. The rain had lightened up slightly, but the moisture that clung to the air made Sarah wrap her jacket around her tighter. Off in the distance, both of the girls noticed a tall figure approaching them quickly trying to escape the rain. It didn't register in Sarah's mind who it was until Samantha shrieked with excitement and ran into the arms of her long time boyfriend Damien Bradley. The couple had been dating for almost 3 years now and they were very much in love from what Sarah could tell. She could see the affection and respect that they held for each other in their eyes and they weren't ashamed of their love. Sarah felt her lips twitch up into a smile as she made her way over to the oblivious couple. Damien was the first to spot her and he gave her a warm and friendly smile.

"Good morning, Sarah." Drops of rainwater clung to Damien's sandy blond hair and dropped down into his hazel eyes. His slim body encircled Samantha and held her close to him with strong arms. He was at least a head taller than Samantha and every one of his features was sleek and angular.

"Morning, Damien. Aren't you cold?" Greeted Sarah as she noticed that he had little more that a sweatshirt on to keep out the penetrating cold. Damien threw his head back and laughed at Sarah's question.

"Not as long as I have Sam here in my arms." Samantha giggled and stood up on her tip toes to steal a quick kiss from Damien. Sarah was starting to feel all the emotions that circled around the two love birds and she felt ill at ease with it.

"Damien, Sarah has some news for you." Said Samantha excitedly as she slid her hand into his, Damien's eyes feel curiously onto Sarah. Sarah shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"It's not even worth bringing up Samantha." Sarah said in a low warning voice to her friend, but Samantha and Damien pretended not to notice if they did.

"What news Sarah?" Damien pressured Sarah. Warmth flooded to Sarah's cheeks with embarrassment. Samantha answered for Sarah instead, unable to control her enthusiasm,

"Sarah's going to try out for the play."

"No I'm not!" Sarah almost shrieked.

"You are?" Asked Damien, his excitement rising with his beloved's.

"I'm considering it." Hissed Sarah through gritted teeth. Not moments ago, Samantha was telling her not to rush her decision and let her sleep on it.

"But I know you will." Samantha teased. Sarah frowned and looked down at her watch realizing that she had to get to her therapist appointment. Samantha stuck out her bottom lip realizing that Sarah had an appointment scheduled. Samantha knew that Sarah only scheduled appointments now if something had happened and she was disappointed that Sarah hadn't told her. "Well, Damien," said Samantha drawing his attention away from Sarah, "we need to get going so that we can practice our own lines for the auditions. We'll catch you later Sarah." Samantha and Damien turned to leave. Damien tossed a wave and a 'bye' over his back as the couple walked away from Sarah. Sarah silently waved farewell and said a silent thank you to her friend for realizing her silent gesture of looking down at her watch.

Turning briskly on her heels, Sarah started to hurriedly walk in the direction of the street to hail a taxi. But before she could make it any further, she ran smack into someone, literally. Sarah dropped her papers in surprise as she steadied herself to keep her balance. Immediately Sarah dove onto the ground trying to salvage her paper before they were totally soaked.

"I'm so sorry. I was in such a rush and you appeared out of nowhere, but it's not your fault that I didn't see you. I'm so sorry, are you ok?" Suddenly a quiet musical laugher drifted to Sarah's ears, stirring sudden emotions with in her that she didn't understand. Sarah's hands had frozen over the papers that were now completely soaked through. Slowly, the person that Sarah had run into crouched down in front of Sarah. Her eyes slowly made their way up to the face of the man in front of her. His jaw line was strong and the lips that smiled above it were thin as they twitched upward in a smile that seemed slightly condescending. His nose was perfectly straight, matching the angularity of his features, and there were no imperfections on his glossy skin. Platinum blond hair fell in long pin straight tendrils past his shoulders. But what Sarah couldn't keep her eyes off of, was the man's strangely mismatched eyes; the pupil in his right eye seemed perfectly normal while his left eye was completely dilated. Both eyes stared at Sarah with a sea green intensity that didn't match his smile. Sarah realized that she had been staring and quickly looked down at her papers muttering another apology.

"You seem to say that so often." His voice sounded musical to Sarah and there was a hint of a foreign accent that Sarah couldn't quite place. "I suppose that I should apologize as well, after all, we both collided into each other, half the blame is mine." Another chuckle escaped from him. "As payment, I will assist you with your papers."

"Thank you." Sarah said meekly to the papers at her feet. Her eyes still carefully averted from his figure and his intense eyes.

_He speaks so formally_, Sarah thought to herself, _almost like an aristocrat_. The two silently picked up the soggy papers and they were handed back to Sarah. A sudden realization spread over Sarah as she looked over her drenched papers.

"Oh no! My audition forms." Sarah frantically looked through the papers that had fallen and looked down on the ground but she couldn't find them at all.

"Are these what you are looking for?" Asked the man as he held out the dry pieces of paper to Sarah. Sarah looked up at him in shock; his eyes seemed amused at her reaction. He looked down at the paper and read her name allowed, "Sarah Williams, is it? Are you auditioning for this play?" Sarah picked up her umbrella from where it had fallen and closed it, the rain had pretty much ceased.

"Um, yes, I mean my name is Sarah, and I'm thinking about auditioning, but I still haven't decided." The man stood up and offered his hand to Sarah to pull her up off the ground. Hesitantly, Sarah reached out and took the man's gloved hand. He quickly let go once she was steady on her feet. At his full height, he was about as tall as Damien, _maybe even taller_, Sarah thought. His body was sleek and lean like that of a dancer or a fencer.

"Maybe I'll see you at auditions then, I plan to try out as well." He smiled at her gently, but Sarah did notice that it didn't seem genuine.

"Oh, ok." Was all that Sarah could think to reply. The man's smile faded.

"But it seems that you at a slight disadvantage, Miss Williams." Sarah looked up at the man confused, his eyes seemed to take on a silvery hue when they met Sarah's.

"Uh, how so?" She asked dazed by his stare.

"I know your name, but you don't know mine, after all, something doesn't have meaning unless it is given a name. Words have great meaning that way." A dark expression passed over the man's face momentarily and for that moment, Sarah felt a shudder run down her spine. Jerking herself, Sarah realized her rudeness.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. My name is Sarah Williams," she said, mentally kicking herself for telling him something he already knew, "and your name would be…?" Sarah stuck out her hand in the empty space between the two. The man slid his leather glove off of his hand, revealing long slender fingers that were strong. He placed his hand in hers and what felt like a jolt of energy shot into Sarah.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Williams, my name is Jerrod Hetherington. I'm the new theater major." Sarah caught her breath, recovering from the unexpectedness that came from his handshake. Sarah scrutinized Jerrod more closely, there was something that didn't settle right with her. Her brain had suddenly started to whisper to Sarah to run the moment their hands touched and a certain familiarity crept at the edges of Sarah's mind. When their hands grasped each other, it was like Sarah's senses became less dull.

Jerrod released Sarah's hand and replaced his leather glove. A look of slight disappointment danced through Jerrod's eyes and Sarah took a step back from him, he didn't seem to notice, he seemed too preoccupied with his own thoughts. As soon as their hands were released from the other, Sarah could feel her senses dull once more and the sense of familiarity disappeared. Before her now was a complete stranger that she was almost positive that she had never met before. Looking back down at her watch, Sarah realized that she was running late, panic settled in.

"I'm so sorry, but I'm running late for a very important appointment. So if you'll excuse me. It was very nice to meet you." Sarah started to walk away from Jerrod when he called out to her,

"Wait." Sarah turned around confused, but he held out her dry audition forms to Sarah, "You forgot these, Miss Williams." Sarah took them and thanked Jerrod. "My pleasure. I'm sure we'll meet again Miss Williams." Sarah set her jaw, she wasn't that found of Jerrod calling her 'Miss Williams' constantly.

"It's Sarah." She said firmly. Jerrod's eyebrows rose with surprise and a smile slowly spread across his face. Sarah, too, was surprised by her sudden rudeness and she quickly chided herself.

"Then, Sarah," Jerrod paused, "have a nice day and we will meet again soon." Sarah nodded and walked away to the street, leaving the lone figure behind her.

**XXXXX**

The Goblin King stood alone where Sarah had left him. A strange emptiness took hold of him for a moment, but he quickly squashed it. Something wasn't right. Jareth had expected Sarah's memories of him to be a little foggy, she had stopped dreaming about him after she was sixteen, but he hadn't expected the extent of her memory loss. She was no longer the spit fire that she was when she ran the Labyrinth, she was dull and grey, basically lifeless. When he had reached out and taken her small soft hand in his, he had let some magic surge into her so that he could once again see her dreams. But what the Goblin King found instead was a gaping hole of emptiness. There were no dreams within Sarah. For a moment, Jareth considered giving up his plan and returning to the Underground. How could he possible take revenge on the girl who had destroyed him if she was barely even a shadow of herself. Anger and frustration bit into Jareth. But when Jareth had finally considered giving up, a spark seemed to ignite within Sarah when he had called her 'Miss Williams'. This gave Jareth that hope he needed, hope that he could revive Sarah's old spirit that he hated so well. Then he would destroy it, leaving Sarah as a weeping mess at his feet. It was the only way the Goblin King's powers would revive.

He would have power over Sarah.


	4. Chapter 3: Dosage

Chapter 3

Dosage

Sarah leapt out of the cab and bolted to the door of a quaint office building. It was a small, modest office for a therapist. The building didn't stand out all that much from the buildings that were situated around the little office. Next to the door was a bell and a small plaque underneath which contained the address of the building and "Dr. Griffith, Psychological Therapist" inscribed on it.

The bell clanged as Sarah thrust the door open letting in a cold gust of air into the waiting room of the office. The secretary looked up from her paperwork at the door and smiled warmly as Sarah entered the office a little worse for wear.

"Hello dear. Why don't you take a seat and Dr. Griffith will be with you shortly." Said the secretary in a friendly voice; Sarah smiled and took her seat in the warm room thankful to be out of the dreadful cold. It wasn't long until the doctor appeared in the doorway.

"Hello Sarah, it's been quite a while hasn't it?" Dr. Griffith smiled down at Sarah. Ever since she was sixteen, Sarah had always thought Dr. Griffith to be a very handsome man. He looked as though he had recently graduated from college though he had been treating Sarah for five years. Dark green eyes with gold flecks seem to prod into Sarah's mind whenever she had her sessions with him. His hair was cropped short but it looked like finely spun gold, which complemented the slight healthy glow the came from his pale skin. All his features, especially his eyes, were slightly angular, completing his youthful look. His thin lips were spread apart revealing bright white teeth.

Sarah stood up and gathered her things. "Yes it certainly has, Dr. Griffith." Said Sarah with a shy smile as she followed the tall man into his office. The smell of old leather was the first to greet Sarah as she walked into the very familiar office. There were few pictures on the wall, all scenic places. Dr. Griffith's desk was pushed against the wall next to a window that had the shades drawn open to allow as much light into the room as possible. The desk was very organized, papers were in neat piles and the pens and pencils were in their proper places. The only trinket sitting on the desk was and obsidian paper weight orb held in place by a small golden stand.

Sitting down in a comfortable leather chair across from the doctor, Sarah and Dr. Griffith conversed about how Sarah was doing in school and how her family was, the usual. The routine still hadn't changed in five years. Soon after the pleasantries were out of the way, Dr. Griffith took out his file on Sarah, made a few quick notes and looked back up at Sarah.

"Alright, Sarah, why don't you tell me when the last time you took a dosage of medicine was?" Sarah took out her pill bottle from her bag, the pills rattled pleasantly in the bottle. The pills were the physical thing that kept Sarah tied to reality. She had been taking these pills for all the years that she had been with Dr. Griffith and they were what kept her coming back to him. It seemed to be the only thing that kept the horrible hallucinations that plagued Sarah at bay. Everyone seemed happier that way. But Samantha was the only one that seemed to be concerned about Sarah taking medication. She thought that Sarah shouldn't rely on the medication and that Dr. Griffith should help Sarah rid herself of the hallucinations in a natural way, not repressing them.

Sarah thought back to her usual morning routine. "I usually take two after I get out of the shower. So I took some at about seven-ish I guess." Dr. Griffith took a few notes of this in his file and looked back at Sarah. Replacing the pill bottle in her bag, she turned back to the prodding eyes of Dr. Griffith.

"And you still had a hallucination this morning after taking the pills?" Sarah nodded,. "Alright, why don't you tell me about what you saw?" That was the part that Sarah hated the most, recalling her hallucinations. All this talk about what she saw was pointless. She just wanted Dr. Griffith to give her a new dosage of medication so that she could forget about what she saw and avoid more hallucinations in the future. But no matter how many times Sarah tried to convince Dr. Griffith that her telling him these hallucinations were pointless, Dr. Griffith would chuckle and tell Sarah that it was his job to listen to the problems that she was having and insisted that she tell him.

Sarah clenched her teeth. "I had just finished getting ready for school and I was looking through the pictures of my family." Sarah paused allowing Dr. Griffith to write what she had said in his notes. He looked up waiting for Sarah to continue. "I had always kept a little glass trinket in my bedside table and it fell on to my lap as I was looking through my things." Dr. Griffith's pen froze on the paper. Slowly his searching eyes met Sarah's, the golden flecks within them shining intently. Sarah continued barely registering his look. "At first it didn't do anything, it just felt really heavy. I stood and up and then it fell onto the floor. That was when the hallucination started. There were no signs or headaches like I usually have." Dr. Griffith wasn't even writing anything down like he usually did, he wasn't even pretending to. He stared intently at Sarah, a scowl forming on his features. Sarah still didn't take any notice of what have overcome Dr. Griffith since she had looked down at her hands because of her uncomfort. "When I looked down at the glass shard, it had started to glow and colors started to appear in the shard. I immediately picked up the phone and called your office just like you told me if these hallucinations started to appear. There were also other images starting to form in the glass shard as well, but I had looked away." Sarah looked back at Dr. Griffith waiting expectantly for a reply. She was surprised to see that Dr. Griffith was no longer writing in his file but was staring attentively at Sarah. There was a small smile on his face but Sarah could see the wheels turning in his head behind his eyes. "Dr. Griffith?" The doctor snapped back into reality and a gently smile caressed his features. He turned his pen to Sarah's file and quickly wrote a short note. Dr. Griffith set down his pen and closed the file. Turning back to Sarah, Dr. Griffith folded his hands in his lap and a concerned look crossed his face.

"Sarah, have you considered that maybe your body is overcoming the medication that I'm giving you?" Sarah shook her head wondering what Dr. Griffith was getting at. "It seems now that it is simply not enough to give you medication to stave off the hallucinations. More drastic measures may have to be taken. I'm already giving you a fairly high dosage of medication."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked accusingly, she didn't want to have to give up her anchor to reality but at the same time, she didn't want to have to switch doctors after five years of success.

"I don't want to have to give you a higher dosage if your body is going to overcome that dosage later on. It seems to be working on the same principle of antibiotics; eventually the bacteria will overcome the medication and grow resistant to it. I don't want this to happen to you where your hallucinations will grow more resistant to the medication I'm giving you." Sarah knew enough about medication to understand the point that Dr. Griffith was trying to make.

"So what do you suggest should be done?"

"I'm merely suggesting that we should fight this psychological phenomenon with another psychological phenomenon. What you're experiencing isn't a disease of any kind and we have been treating it like it was one. It has become apparent to me that if we are—"

"Dr. Griffith, I understand full well what you're saying, I'm not a half wit. Just tell what you suggest for a treatment." Sarah said impatiently. Dr. Griffith wet his thin lips and continued slowly.

"I think that hypnosis may be the best option in helping you rid yourself of these hallucinations once and for all." Dr. Griffith said finally. There was a deafening silence in the small office as Dr. Griffith's statement settled into the recesses of Sarah's mind. Suddenly, Sarah burst out into hysterical laugher. Dr. Griffith was so taken aback by the suddenness of Sarah's outburst that he jumped in his seat a little. A look of frustration appeared on Dr. Griffith's face. "May I inquire as to why, Sarah, you have found my proposal amusing?" There was a slight edge in his voice. Sarah quickly regain composure, she wiped away her tears and sat up in her seat.

"I must apologize, Dr. Griffith, but you can't seriously be considering hypnosis as a form of treatment can you? It's just phony tricks magicians use to entertain their audience." Sarah was still smiling, but Dr. Griffith was not, in fact, he looked very serious.

"Sarah, this isn't a joke. You have a serious psychological illness that has been resisting the treatment that I have been prescribing. I think that the next best course of action is one that is psychological as well." Sarah felt uncomfortable with the idea of hypnosis. There was no reason yet to take such a big step. Not to mention that Sarah didn't believe in any of that mystical mumbo-jumbo like hypnosis.

"Dr. Griffith, don't you think that using hypnosis is just taking this a little too far? It seems a little impractical and brash don't you think? Wouldn't it just be easier to up the dosage of my medication?" Dr. Griffith sat back in his chair with a sigh. Folding his hands under his chin, he sunk into deep contemplative thought. Sarah waited patiently for his answer. She would refuse the hypnosis unless it was vitally necessary. His eyes flickered back up to Sarah's and a gentle smile slowly spread across his face. To Sarah, Dr. Griffith had chosen the wrong profession to be in; he was better suited to be a movie star or a model.

"Alright, Sarah, I won't force you in hypnosis if you feel uncomfortable about it. Just know that this is an option, should you change your mind. In the mean time…" Dr. Griffith got up from his chair and strode over to his desk. He opened one of the bottom drawers and filled out one of the prescription sheets. Walking back over to Sarah, he held out the slip of paper and she took it relieved. Already she could feel the weight of her anchor to reality as she slid the paper into her wallet. The doctor turned and sat back down in his chair across from Sarah and picked up her file. He clicked the pen and began to write some quick notes in her file. "…that prescription is an upped dosage of your usual medication. Take it to the pharmacy that you usually bring it too and there should be no issues with filling it. Why don't we wrap up with a few more questions?" Sarah looked down at her watch and gauged how much time it would take for her to get to her next class on time. They were a little a head of schedule and Sarah estimated that she should be about ten minutes earlier than when she usually got to her class.

"Of course, Dr. Griffith, I have plenty of time 'til my next class." Said Sarah as she readjusted herself in her seat. She felt lighter now that she had her prescription safely tucked away in her bag. Sarah answered Dr. Griffith's usual questions with the usual answers. Finally they got to the last question, the one that always made Sarah feel the most uncomfortable.

"How have your dreams been, Sarah?" Sarah's feet rubbed back and forth on the soft plush carpet under her seat, taking her time with her answer. She always felt like a little child when Dr. Griffith asked her this question. What was the point of asking such questions? Dreams were dreams. Dr. Griffith looked up at her with a knowing look in his green and gold flecked eyes. "Dreams are very important, Sarah. They are the gateways to people's minds. It's the way the brain stores information after while we sleep." Sarah couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I guess then that they have been the same as always." Said Sarah folding her arms over her chest, her physical indicator that she was done with this session.

"Could you elaborate on that then?" Goaded the doctor.

"I'm either running a giant maze or I'm in a corridor of stairways. They're still few and far between." Sarah haughtily replied. Dr. Griffith's pen scribbled a quick note in her file.

"And the Goblin King…?"

"Still there. As always." Dr. Griffith frowned.

"Has he spoken to you?" Asked Dr. Griffith cautiously.

"No. Not for years" Dr. Griffith breathed out, Sarah looked at him curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"The Goblin King is a manifestation of something within your brain, maybe something of your childhood past that you can't seem to let go of, which is why he appears in all of your dreams. It seems that a sign of improvement for your condition is that this manifestation has stopped communicating with you. If he starts to communicate with you again, though, you must consider my proposal of hypnosis, because it means that your condition is worsening." It felt as if Dr. Griffith had just placed a heavy weight on Sarah at the issue of his warning. Yes the Goblin King hadn't spoken to Sarah in her dreams for years but from what she had experienced today and Dr. Griffith's suggestion for hypnosis, Sarah had an aching fear of going to bed that night. A lump formed in the back of Sarah's throat that she found difficult to force down.

"I understand, Dr. Griffith." Came Sarah's feeble reply. White teeth glinted from behind Dr. Griffith's lips.

"Thank you, Sarah. I understand that this must be hard for you, but I only want you to be healthy and safe. I'm concerned for you." Dr. Griffith leaned forward towards Sarah, suddenly she smelt the strong colon that Dr. Griffith was wearing. She shifted nervously in her seat. Sarah looked back down at her watch; it was time for her to go.

"Alright, Sarah. I guess that's all the time that we have for today." Dr. Griffith helped Sarah to her feet. His hand was warm and smooth.

"Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to see me, Dr. Griffith. I truly appreciate it." Smiling up at Dr. Griffith, Sarah made her way to the office door.

"Anytime, Sarah. Remember to get that prescription filled as soon as possible." Sarah waved to the secretary and was about to walk outside when Dr. Griffith stopped her with a quick question. "By the way, Sarah, you mentioned that you met a new drama student today. I didn't quite catch his name, I need it for my notes." Sarah paused confused by the sudden question. She looked up at the ceiling in contemplation.

"Hmmm, it was Jer- something… oh it was Jerrod, uh Hetherington." Dr. Griffith pursed his lips, as if he were thinking over the name.

"Were there any outstanding features about… Jerrod Hetherington?" He asked, Dr. Griffith pronounced the name as if he tasted some kind of wine and from the look on his face, it wasn't settling right with him. It was strange that Dr. Griffith would take notice in a specific person especially one that Sarah had just met. Thinking back to when Sarah met Jerrod she thought about the feature that stood out the most and it was immediately obvious what it was.

"His eyes." Came Sarah's definitive answer. "They were a light green but the pupil in one eye was almost completely dilated over the iris, it almost looked as if his eye was an entirely different color." Hoping that her answer satisfied Dr. Griffith, Sarah pushed the outside door open and walked out in to the cold air.

**XXXXX**

Dr. Griffith stood in the doorway of his office. His teeth and hands clenched tightly together. The waiting room seemed to heat up a little and the secretary turned on her desk fan nonchalantly. The doctor's eyes narrowed and he stormed back into his office. He took off his trench coat from the hook it was perched on and slipped it on. Grabbing something from his desk and slipping it into his pocket, Dr. Griffith walked out of his office. He closed the door behind him and locked it. He nodded to his secretary and she went and switched the sign on the door from "open" to "closed" and locked the outside door. Dr. Griffith walked outside into the freezing cold air and quickly pulled the collar on his coat up around his neck. He was still unused to the cold damp weather, even after five years.

"Jerrod Hetherington?" He sneered into the air. Soon, Dr. Griffith was out of sight, well blended with the occupants of the bustling city.

The secretary sat back down at her desk and continued to type on her computer shaking her head at the man who had just walked out of the door.

"Young people are so excitable. He'll learn soon enough."

* * *

><p><em>Hi everyone, thank you for being so patient (I know I probably spelled that wrong I suck at spelling) =)<em>

_I have reviewed the other chapters and edited them so that some of you won't be all like "OMG! What are you trying to say!"_

_I Know that there's no Jareth in this one. BUT! Now you have met the doctor hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm_

_Anyway... I'm working with the next chapter. This is my last week before I have to go back to school X( so I will be writting at any possible moment._

_Shout out to all my subscribers! You know who you are ;)_

_BLeeB77_


	5. Chapter 4: The Offer

**Chapter 4**

**The Offer**

A velvety darkness had fallen over the city of Portland. The harsh glow of the city lights illuminated the sky and the dense cloud ceiling caught the orange glow. The air was still fresh but cool as Damien walked along the dark sideway. Despite the cold though, Damien felt warm and giddy as he approached Samantha's apartment to take her out for the night. Puffs of steam escaped his lips as he trudged ahead, he was so wrapped up in his euphoria that he almost missed the figure standing at the entrance of an empty and dark alleyway. Damien felt cautious as he approached the alleyway and the figure until he saw fully who it was and then panic overwhelmed him. As if the cement was suddenly liquid, Damien felt his feet stick to the ground, not willing to move any closer. The figure had a long trench coat on with a scarf wrapped loosely around his shoulders as he leaned against the brick walls. His gloved hands were carelessly paying with a clear orb with practiced skill and his intense eyes stared out from under the tassels of his platinum blond hair into the orb, ignoring the pedestrian that had stopped. Damien almost hadn't recognized him with his human glamour.

"Well?" The overwhelming voice of the figure called out to Damien still standing in shock, "Are you going to stand there and gawk at me after all these years?"

"Jar—"

"Don't!" Said Jareth furiously to Damien, "Don't use my true name, it's difficult to keep up this damn glamour." As if to emphasize his point, some of the glamour around Jareth's eyes and ebbed away revealing the markings and making his gaze all the more threatening. Damien's mouth clamped shut and waited for Jareth to compose himself and the glamour once again hid the markings, but his eyes still held their intensity. Gazing into them brought back painful memories to Damien.

"What am I to call you then, your Majesty?" Replied Damien dropping into a low bow. Jareth ground his teeth together and grabbed Damien by the collar of his shirt and dragged Damien into the alleyway. Light seemed to drain away, remaining only on the brick walls that were still wet from the rain. For a moment, the light hit the walls in a way that made the alleyway look as if it had been dusted in glitter, much like that of the walls of the Labyrinth.

"Have you become so much like a human that the contagion stupidity has infected you?" Growled Jareth shoving Damien roughly against the damp wall, Damien could feel the cold seep into his clothing. The two were face to face and at the same eye level. Stepping away from Damien frustrated, Jareth ran his hand through his hair.

"Just call me Jerrod Hetherington. No, formalities. You have no reason to use formalities anyway, Damien." Damien looked away.

"Yes I do…Jerrod. Things aren't like that anymore." Said Damien angrily. Jareth just can't understand, he never would.

"Look around you, we're not in the walls of the Labyrinth, nor under the skies of the Underground, this is Aboveground, I hold no such titles here." Jareth turned his back on Damien and folded his arms across his chest. Despite his claim of having no royal formalities here in the Aboveground, he still held himself like a king or of someone of self-importance.

"Speaking of which," said Damien walking in front of Jareth, he was annoyed that his time with Samantha was being taken up by the Goblin King, "what are you doing here in the Aboveground anyways?" It was a rare sight indeed to see the Goblin King in the Aboveground. It usually meant that he was up to no good. As Damien sensed, a sly smile spread across the lips of the Goblin King.

"That is indeed and interesting question, Damien. Wouldn't you like to know?" Jareth said teasingly, but not in a friendly manner.

"Yes," Damien's voiced lowered, "I_ would_ like to know." Now it was Damien's turn to grab Jareth by the collar of his trench coat. Jareth's teasing look became one of anger at sheer forwardness of Damien.

"You dare grab me in such a manner?" He demanded in a low hiss. Damien couldn't help but feel his anger rising, Jareth was always like this, his emotions always changing.

"I thought that you had no titles here in the Aboveground?" Damien hissed back. Jareth smiled a feral smile, his emotions changing again.

"Quite." Shaking off Damien's grip. "So, you want to know why I'm here?" Damien nodded, too angry to speak. Jareth's smile widened, if it were possible. Stepping closer to Damien, Jareth lowered his voice to a near whisper. "I'm here for the Champion of the Labyrinth." Damien looked at Jareth confused.

"You mean, Sarah Williams?" The Goblin King grimaced at the pronunciation of the Labyrinth Champion's name.

"Don't speak that name." With an exasperated sigh, Damien pinched the bridge of his nose. The initial shock of seeing Jareth after four years in the Aboveground had worn off of Damien.

"Shall I become a mute as well?" Damien's sarcasm was not appreciated by Jareth.

"I would think that you would know the power of someone's true name, Damien, since you no longer have yours." Damien's patience suddenly broke and he charged after Jareth in blind fury. Suddenly, pain burst into Damien's chest and he fell to the ground writhing from the burning sensation. A knee appeared by Damien's head as Jareth knelt down next to Damien and a crystal came into Damien's line of sight. It glowed softly and intensified with the pain. That bastard. "Now, if you will listen, Damien, I have something to offer you." The burning sensation has ceased and Damien shakily got to his feet and supported himself against the now pleasantly cool brick wall.

"What could…you possible offer to me…that I would be so tempted to participate in your schemes?" Panted Damien trying to recover from the sudden onslaught of Jareth while still trying to keep the venom in his voice. Damien had asked the question that Jareth most wanted to hear from him.

"That is a very interesting question my dear, Damien. But that's not your true name, isn't it Damien?" Said the Goblin King slyly. The familiar frustration rose up in Damien once and again but Jareth stopped him, "What if I told you that I had the power to restore your true name to you?" The alleyway was eerily silent for a long moment as this news receded into Damien's mind.

"You're lying." Whispered Damien in utter disbelief.

"I assure you, it's the complete truth. I am the Goblin King, am I not?" Jareth lowered his voice as well.

"But you do not have that kind of sovereign power." Jareth smiled his taunting smile and the crystal he had been holding at a standstill was once again performing acrobatic feats on his leather clad hands.

"Do you know what this is Damien?"

Annoyed Damien answered, "Of course, it's a crystal. Nothing more." Jareth smiled knowingly.

"But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams."

"I know that,_ Jerrod_," said Damien sarcastically biting back his frustration, "do you expect to charm me to help you in the same way you do to those who wish someone away."

"I have looked into this crystal, Damien, and I know what your dreams are as well as you. Don't you see? I have the ability to grant wishes and dreams. You dream about having your true name back, and I can grant that. All you have to do…is help me." The crystal in Jareth's hand cleared itself before Damien and he gazed into its depths. Images twisted and turned every which-way and soon clear images formed in front of Damien. His place returned to him in the Underground and him returning to his family with open arms. Samantha standing beside his side looking radiant in the traditional wedding gown of the Underground and her calling him by his true name. A deep and long forgotten ach rose up in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly, Damien realized that he was reaching out unconsciously towards the crystal held in Jareth's hand. Damien jerked his hand back with a hiss.

"I can't do this to, Sarah." Jareth's pained expression at her name gave Damien some satisfaction. "She's Samantha's best friend and she is my friend too. I don't know exactly what you have planed for her, but I will not be the one to put her in harm's way." Said Damien resolutely. Jareth chuckled darkly at Damien's ignorance.

"There is no way that I could ever do harm to the Champion of the Labyrinth, remember, I have no power over her." Jareth ended bitterly. Damien believed him. After all, he had witnessed Sarah conquer the Challenge of the Labyrinth and defeat Jareth; he had even been in the ball room where Sarah and Jareth had danced together. He knew that Sarah now had no memory of what had happened in the Labyrinth and it wasn't secret from him that Sarah was also visiting a therapist for memories that Sarah thought were hallucinations.

Damien wanted so badly to reach out and take the crystal that Jareth was offering to him, to just touch the smooth flawless surface and maybe have at least one of his dreams come true. But at the same time, despite what Jareth had said, he knew that he would be hurting Sarah, maybe not physically but certainly mentally. He knew, without Jareth even telling Damien of his plan, the Jareth was seeking revenge. But Jareth played things in games and drew them out as long as possible, like a cat playing with a mouse that it would devour eventually. This would destroy Sarah in the end, Damien knew that. But at the same time it was a well known fact of the Underground that no one had ever completed the Challenge of the Labyrinth, and in not just 13 but 10 hours! If anyone could get out of an impossible predicament, it was Sarah. Even though she was not quite the same since the Labyrinth, he had seen her personality from before slip into the light, rarely though.

"How, then, do you plan to take your revenge on Sar— the Champion of the Labyrinth?" Asked Damien as he painfully stole his eyes from the swimming images in the crystal. Jareth brought his face closer to Damien's, even though Damien was older than Jareth, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by him, age wasn't everything and everything was not as it seemed in the Underground.

"You know that the Champion of the Labyrinth isn't the same that she was when she beat the Challenge of the Labyrinth. Something is wrong. On top of that, I can't see her dreams anymore, most likely, she had stopped dreaming of me. She is plain and boring, she has no spirit or drive anymore. That's not the girl that emerged from the Underground as a Champion. That's not who I want revenge on." Jareth's teeth glinted in the dark alleyway. Damien could see the angry passion in his mismatched eyes. Damien knew that he couldn't possibly imagine the feelings that Jareth kept carefully hidden behind his demeanor and as much as he used to respect the Goblin King, Damien recognized that as a past life. He had come to accept the life that he had now with Samantha and the Aboveground. Along with that, Damien had come to genuinely care for Sarah, he wasn't going to allow anything to happen to her.

As if the Goblin King knew what was passing through Damien's thoughts, he spoke beseechingly to Damien. "You claim that…this _girl_ is your friend, right?" Damien didn't say anything, he only keep his eyes narrowly focused on the Goblin King. "Don't you want her to remember? After all, running the Labyrinth was a very important time in her life, no? How fair is it for her to go on living her mundane and dreamless life without the knowledge of her having a great adventure six years ago, according to the Aboveground." Damien was torn. Everything within his head said that it was wrong to put Sarah in this kind of situation and his own desires before her, he had paid the consequences of doing that already. But his heart was in the gloved hand of Jareth. The two sides of him were at bitter war with each other and Damien no longer knew what was right or wrong.

"I…I…I want to help Sarah." Damien said helplessly as he sank to his knees in defeat. Jareth knelt down sympathetically in front of Damien.

"Indeed you have spent too long with these mortals if you have come up with your confused morals. Don't feel guilty. Letting this weigh you down will only distress you. You don't even have to think about it. Just take this crystal and you have everything back, and more. You can see this as a way of returning a missing piece of _her_ that she had forgotten. And in return, you can have your life back." Jareth held the crystal out before Damien once again and inside the crystal he saw a new image rise to the surface. There were children clinging to him. Next to him, Samantha stood with a small babe in her arms cooing it. Damien exhaled a gasp of air in a great whoosh as if he had been punched in the gut.

"That's not fair!" Gasped Damien shoving Jareth's hand away carefully avoiding the crystal offered to him. Snarling at the phrase, Jareth pushed the crystal closer to Damien.

"Don't say phrases that have no meaning, Damien." Growled Jareth. Damien couldn't help but smile feebly realizing what he had just said.

"All words have meaning, Jerrod." Both of the men stared in contempt at each other, daring the other to speak. Slowly, Damien turned his attention back to the crystal before him. His mind was losing the battle to his desires. His breathing slowed as his fingertips reached out slowly for the small orb and stopped altogether when his fingertips grazed the smooth surface of the crystal that held his children within it.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah." Damien whispered as he took the crystal fully in his hand and gripped it tightly. The Goblin King chuckled darkly.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Damien. And I promise that you will once again be called by your true name by the time it is finished. I have already set my plans into motion. She must recall her old dreams and unstop her deep emotions." Jareth reached down and yanked Damien roughly to his feet. "Don't look so sloppy, Damien. You were of nobility once, what would the courts say if they saw you like this?" Tsked Jareth. Damien pushed away from Jareth's assistance. He felt the contempt for himself rising up, but he continued to grip the crystal in his hand as if it was a precious treasure.

"I don't care. I have no shame anymore damn it." His voice rasped. Jareth tsked once again.

"You should care, you will be among them once again soon enough." A slight mist had started to fall in the alleyway and Damien recognized it as another onslaught of rain soon to come.

"What is it that you wish me to do, Jerrod?" Jareth clapped his hand on Damien's shoulder.

"I've already given her some audition forms for the play coming up. Help her realize her old dreams of being an actress. You and that delightful mortal of yours can help her with that I'm sure, considering your new affinity for the theater." Said Jareth darkly. Damien couldn't help but clench his teeth together when Jareth dared to mention Samantha in that manner.

"Of course, Jerrod, please inform me of any new developments." Said Damien with a heavy heart as he placed his hand over his chest and bowed respectfully. Jareth couldn't help but let a smile escape onto his lips. Everything was falling into place perfectly.

"I will communicate anything to you through that crystal." Jareth motioned to the orb clasped in Damien's vice like grip. Damien nodded his head and turned on his heels and briskly left the dark alleyway and made his way to Samantha's apartment leaving the Cheshire-like smile of the Goblin King in the alley. Tucking the crystal into his deep coat pocket and his thoughts of guilt out of his mind, Damien convinced himself that he was doing this for the future of his family.

* * *

><p><em>Alrighty! There's another chapter for you! More plot! What will happen next? o.0<em>

_Yep the update was faster than expected, yay team! But don't expect another one so soon since I'm going back to school...this microecon class with kill me XP_

_Thanks to all you subscribers who are being patient with me and thank you for reading =) Let me know what you think by either reviewing or sending me a PM, honesty is appriciated but rudness is not._

_Thanks,_

_BLeeB77_


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